The New Orleans Saints headed into Sunday waiting to know whether Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, both listed as questionable, would be available for their Week 6 clash with the New York Giants.
Olave was dealing with an illness, but indications are that he’ll play.
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The news is good on Kamara, too, although it’s the kind of news that complicates things in the backfield for New Orleans.
Is Alvin Kamara Playing Today?
Kamara is “expected to play,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Kamara’s back injury is something that popped up for the first time on the injury report heading into Week 5, and he was active last week.
However, Kamara only got three carries a week ago and pretty much vanished from the game in the second half, so this isn’t cut and dry.
It’ll also be worth checking the Saints’ injury report 90 minutes before the game (11:30 a.m. ET injury report, 10:30 a.m. Central) to confirm Kamara’s status.
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Even if he plays, though, things might not be totally straightforward.
Saints RB Depth Chart
On paper, the No. 1 spot on this depth chart now appears up for grabs.
It previously belonged to Travis Etienne, who is currently on injured reserve.
It then went from Etienne to Kamara once Etienne was on IR.
But last week, Kamara took a backseat to Kendre Miller, who had 10 carries for 30 yards and a touchdown.
The undrafted rookie CJ Donaldson even out-carried Kamara 4-3 in the loss to the Vikings.
That would suggest that Miller is actually ahead of Kamara this week, especially given the veteran is dealing with a potentially nagging back injury, but there’s nothing that can just tell us that for certain.
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Kendre Miller Fantasy Outlook
The big reason this matters for many is for their fantasy football lineups.
Kamara is an incredibly risky play after getting just five touches last week. It’s hard to trust that he’ll just play the whole game and make plays while he’s out there. He has slightly more value in a PPR format, if you don’t have any better options.
Miller is the most interesting, because if he sees double-digit carries, he could pile up decent yardage, and he could also have a chance at a touchdown. Miller also isn’t a bad pass catcher, so he could get a couple receptions while on the field.
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It’s risky to play Miller in fantasy, though, as well. There’s just a lot of uncertainty here. Week 5 would suggest that Miller is a better play than Kamara, but neither inspires a ton of confidence this week.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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